Fireheart's Exile: Branch
by Peters6221
Summary: Fireheart finds himself exiled after a battle with rogues. When he leaves, he finds a young kit named Branch to care for.
1. Chapter 1: Confrontation

***Disclaimer***

**I don't own warriors or any of the characters except the ones that may be invented at some point This is my first attempt at a "real" story with chapters, main plot, etc.**

**Chapter 1: Confrontation**

Fireheart ran into camp, panting. "Rogues…attacking…Thunderclan…in danger!"

Tigerclaw was already in camp with the group of rogues Fireheart had suspected that he brought. Tigerclaw's familiar battle cry rang out, and Fireheart looked over to see him attacking a rogue, confusing him. Maybe he was wrong about Tigerclaw leading them here.

Fireheart was bowled over by a large gray tabby. The rogue had him pinned on his back, and it raked at Fireheart's exposed belly. Fireheart screeched, and he kicked out the tabby's leg from underneath so that he could get away. He looked around for Tigerclaw, but he was nowhere to be seen. He feared the worst and started running to Bluestar's den, but yet again he was pinned down by the same rogue. And this time he wasn't letting go. Fireheart helplessly struggled while the rogue was about to go for the killing bite.

Suddenly the weight disappeared of his back with a jerk. Sandstorm had knocked him off. Fireheart tried to get his bearings, but was dazed. He saw the rogues finally running out of camp. Thunderclan was safe.

But he forgot about Tigerclaw. He heard Tigerclaw yowl behind him. "Bluestar has been killed in the fight!"

The Clan went silent. No one knew that Bluestar had only one life left. Except Fireheart.

"But, Bluestar still had three lives left, didn't she?" Runningwind asked.

"No." Fireheart spoke out before he realized what he was doing. "She only had one. She told me this not too long ago."

"Why didn't you say something, kittypet!" Tigerclaw growled. "The Clan deserves to know these things!"

"She gave me strict orders not to tell anyone until she died. She didn't want the Clan to worry about her."

"These have to be lies. Why would she tell a kittypet but not her deputy?"

"Maybe she didn't trust you." Once again he had spoken out without thinking.

Tigerclaw was furious. "What kind of talk is that? Why wouldn't she trust me?"

Fireheart took a deep breath. This was his chance to expose Tigerclaw about Redtail. But what if they didn't believe him? He figured that he was getting in over his head anyway by confronting Tigerclaw in front of the clan. "I told her about Redtail."

He could see a speck of fear in Tigerclaw's eyes, which was quickly replaced by anger. "Redtail? You didn't even know him! What could you possibly know about him?"

"I know how he died. And it wasn't Oakheart who killed him. It was you." Tigerclaw was about to speak, but Fireheart cut him off. He knew that if he was going to win this battle, he couldn't let Tigerclaw say anything. He had to get his story in first. "I've spoken to several cats who were at that battle, and all of them tell the same story: Oakheart died in a rock fall before Redtail died, and Riverclan fled. That leaves you and Redtail the only two cats there, and one of you somehow didn't make it back."

"How would you know any of this?"

"At gatherings I've asked around."

"So you trust Riverclan cats more than me?"

"To be blunt, yes. Some of them, at least. I doubt the entire Clan would lie unless they were lied to by the cats at the battle." He glared at Tigerstar accusingly. "And Ravenpaw. I've asked him multiple times over the course of moons, and he remembers the same thing: you killing Redtail."

"How could you ask him? He's dead!"

"He's not. He ran away because you were spreading rumors that he was a spy, and he suspected that you were going to kill him for knowing. He was too scared of you to come forward about it himself, but he told me. I've talked to him in the moons since he left."

"So you think I'm a murderer because some Riverclan cats and a dead cat told you so?"

"It's evidence. More than you have. You are the only cat here that knows exactly what happened, but I have a pretty good guess."

"Fireheart," he heard Whitestorm speak, "this is ridiculous! I would have never expected something like this from you." He started to panic. He was riding on the clan's support, but he was losing it.

"I've heard enough of you kittypet. You shouldn't be here. Ever since you've come, you've never been able to adhere to the warrior code. You lied to the clan about multiple things, like Ravenpaw and Bluestar's lives. And now you're accusing your new leader of murder. You're deteriorating, Fireheart. You had a good run, but now you are just becoming a burden. I don't think you should live here anymore."

Fireheart was furious! Tigerclaw was trying to get rid of him. And he acted like he was trying to be nice about it, too!

"Fireheart, he is right. You haven't done much to help your cause recently, too. You lied about Ravenpaw being alive, you lied about Bluestar's lives, you lied about Graystripe's affair, and now you expect us to believe Tigerclaw is a murderer. I'm sorry, but I don't think you should stay, either." Other cats started to meow in agreement.

This was devastating coming from Whitestorm. The entire clan would side with Whitestorm now. He was on the verge of losing his home.

**A/N**

**Yay cliffhanger! Don't you just love those?**

**On another note, I may clump some chapters later in the future. Depends on how many there end up being.**

**Also, I have my "Brotherhood" story that goes with this one,**


	2. Chapter 2: Exile

**I still don't own any of the warriors stuff**

**Chapter 2: Exile**

"Fireheart, I believe I would have the support of the clan if I were to exile you. And I will."

Fireheart flinched at the words. He… he had just lost his home. He lost everything he worked so hard and fought for all these moons.

He walked towards the gorse tunnel and he could feel the entire clan staring at him. No one said a word. He walked by Sandstorm, who turned away from him in disgust. It was such a shame, too. She had finally stopped with the kittypet insults. He suddenly remembered the prophecy. Fire alone can save our clan. He turned around and looked across camp.

"You will regret this. One of these days, you will need me. I don't know why or when, but you will."

He padded out the tunnel before he could see a reaction. He didn't care anymore. He was too devastated to care. Fireheart figured Tigerclaw would put a death sentence on him, so he decided to leave Thunderclan territory. He walked along the river until he was on the side of the gorge in Windclan territory. He knew it was dangerous to be there, but it wasn't any different than standing in Thunderclan's, with one difference: Windclan didn't have a death sentence on him. He looked over the gorge, and took a few steps back. He prepared himself to jump.

Was he really ready to go through with this? He had just lost everything he had worked so hard for all his life, and there was no point to living anymore. But he didn't feel any cat should die like this. Throwing himself off a cliff in despair? Hardly an honorable death.

He heard a voice behind him. It was Tallstar. "Just because you brought us back doesn't give you free passage on our territory. What are you even doing here?"

"I was just leaving." He just walked upstream and went beyond Windclan territory.

**A/N**

**I've read some stories where he tries to kill himself and I decided to NOT do that.**

**This chapter is very short, but I wanted to leave 1 with a cliffhanger and felt like that was a suitable ending for the chapter.**

**I feel like I'm kind of cheating because this is a short chapter. Maybe I'll post the next one in a couple days since I have 8 written so far.**


	3. Chapter 3: What should I Do?

**Guess what? I still don't own Warriors**

**Chapter 3: What Should I Do?**

He wandered up the river until nightfall. He found a small cardboard box on its side and he crawled into it, and then he knocked it over so he was under it. He heard rain start to fall, along with thunder in the distance. The thunder only reminded him of Thunderclan. It made him feel lost and lonely. He drifted off to sleep with the soft patter of rain on his box.

The next morning, he woke up in a daze. For a moment he had forgotten yesterday's events, but it came flooding back to him like a badger's blow. He wondered what he should do with his life.

Should he try to join Windclan? _No, I couldn't just join another Clan like that. It's not easy_. Maybe he could try being a kittypet again. _Maybe. My former owners should be excited to see me again_. He made the trek back down the river until it started to look familiar again. It then occurred to him that he could try to live with Ravenpaw and Barley. Why wasn't this the _first_ thing he thought of? He would have friends to live with.

He approached to old barn they lived in. "Ravenpaw!" he called out.

"Fireheart? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

"Tigerclaw killed Bluestar. Or at least I think he did. Since he was leader, he exiled me, so now I don't have a home. I was wondering if I could come live with you."

Ravenpaw stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before he slowly responded, "Sure. I don't mind the company. I really feel horrible for you. You worked so hard to do what no other cat could do, and you lost it all at once. You deserve a nice place to live."

"Thanks."

He stayed with Ravenpaw for a few days, but he grew restless. He couldn't stand a sedentary lifestyle. He had to _do_ something. He had to have a purpose. He explained this to his friend, and he part ways with him. He was a rogue again.

**Still short. I'll try to make them longer I promise**

**Sorry, that chapter was boring. And I know I didn't make Ravenpaw sound sympathetic, but I tried. Just pretend that Ravenpaw was extremely sympathetic.**

**Since Ch. 2 was short, and this was short, I guess they make one chapter together? Oh, and I'm noticing lack of reviews...**


	4. Chapter 4: Revisiting an Old Home

**Nope, STILL don't own Warriors...**

**Chapter 4: Revisiting an Old Home**

He cut back across the back of Windclan territory and wandered into the twolegplace. He went back to visit his old home. He didn't have any intention of staying, but he visited just because he could. When he got there, he saw a new kittypet. She was a brown tabby.

"Hello, there," she mewed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Fireheart. I used to live here. I'm looking for Smudge, actually."

"He went inside not too long ago. I doubt he would want to come back out."

"That's a shame. I wanted to talk to him before I go."

"Go where?"

"I've hit a rough patch in my life and I'm resorting to wandering."

"When you said you used to live here, why did you leave?" She sounded worried.

"I just wasn't fit for a kittypet lifestyle. My owners were great to me, but I just couldn't live like that. I went to live in the forest."

"You're a wild cat?"

"Well, I was, until a tyrant came to power and forced me out of my home. Now I don't know where to go."

"I'm sure my… our owners would love to have you back. I could use someone to live with."

"No, thanks. I couldn't go back to being a kittypet after living in the forest. It's just not who I am."

"Well, whatever suits you. I wish you well in your new life. It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice to meet you, too. What did you say your name was again?"

"Hattie."

"Well, nice to visit, but I should be going. And tell Smudge that Rusty said 'hi.'"

Just as he was about to go, he saw a bird perch itself on a fencepost and he instinctively dropped into a hunter's crouch. "I guess I haven't eaten in a day or so…" he muttered. "I have some food if you want it." Hattie obviously didn't understand that he wanted the bird for a meal, not twoleg food. Fireheart jumped up at the bird and hooked it on his claws and drug it down to the ground. He finished it off with a killing bite. He glanced over at Hattie, and she looked horrified.

"What did you do _that_ for?"

"Food. What do you think we ate in the forest? Grass?"

"I…I don't know. But why would you kill something like that for food?"

"You've obviously never had real meat. Here, have a bite."

"No-no thanks." "Fine. Your loss. It tastes great."

He finished his meal and buried the bones, with Hattie watching with the same horrified look on her face.

**A/N**

**This chapter is here just for the sake of fluff. Filler material. Unimportant stuff between interesting events. Whatever you want to call it. This is where the two different endings branch off. I will alternate between releasing chapters for this one and the other one.**


	5. Chapter 5: Decisions

**If you think I've somehow gotten the rights to warriors since I released the last chapter, you're sorely mistaken.**

**Chapter 5: Decisions**

He said his goodbyes to Hattie and went back towards the river.

_Alright. Let's think through this…_

***Up in Starclan***

"What should we do about Fireheart?" Spottedleaf mewed.

"I do not know," Lionheart responded.

"You know as well as the rest of us that Fireheart was not meant to leave," Redtail put in.

"Yes, I understand. But what has happened has already happened, and we aren't going to change it. Fireheart is gone from Thunderclan. For now, at least."

"He does not have to be in Thunderclan to save it."

"What do you mean, Spottedleaf?" Lionheart asked.

"Fire alone can save our clan. It was a prophecy I got before Bluestar first saw Fireheart. When we saw him, we knew that he had to be the fire."

"What if you were wrong?"

"No," Redtail cut in, "I knew of this prophecy too. I knew when I saw him that he was special. That Starclan had chosen him. All that happened to him was that Tigerclaw got in the way of it. And maybe Fireheart will return someday."

"And do we watch over him?" Lionheart asked.

"We'll see what he does. Then we decide."

***Real World***

_Now, what to do with myself? Where should I go? What should I do?_ Fireheart felt the questions flow rapidly though his head. _Let's start with the basic, easy questions. _

_Will I keep my warrior name or go back to my kittypet one? Warrior name. I still want to be a wild cat, not a kittypet. Am I still loyal to Thunderclan? Yes, just not to Tigerclaw. Will I keep my faith in the Warrior Code and Starclan? Definitely. You can't take that away from me._ There was a sigh of relief up in Starclan._ So, now I know that I am Fireheart, a loyal Thunderclan warrior who just got on bad terms with the new leader, but still have help from Starclan. I hope._

_So now that I know who I am, where should I go? Once again, easy questions. Do I remain wild, or go kittypet again? Wild. Never being a kittypet again. Now, do I stay around here or leave the forest and Clans behind? Well, I don't want to be caught around here again, so I guess I have to say goodbye to home, for now. Maybe I can try returning. _

_Alright, now where to? Up the river or downstream? Upstream. It leads away from Twolegplace. Now, I will deal with whatever happens and make decisions based on what I encounter. Remember, Fireheart, keep it to simple questions. I don't want to make it too hard. Rebuilding a life isn't easy, so don't make it harder for yourself._

***Starclan***

"So he remained loyal."

"You did not think he would, Redtail?" Redtail, Spottedleaf, and Lionheart all turned to see Bluestar. "I raised him better than that."

"You've come to join our discussion, then?"

"Yes, Lionheart. I heard his thoughts, though. I'm going to watch over him wherever he goes."

"But shouldn't you stay here and help Thunderclan?" Redtail challenged.

"Fireheart has kept his faith in us, so why shouldn't we keep our faith in him? He needs Starclan now more than ever. He needs _someone_ to watch over him, so I'm going with him."

"I'm with Bluestar," Spottedleaf meowed. "I think he deserves some help."

"Lionheart, Redtail, you can watch over Thunderclan now. Don't let that traitor Tigerclaw get away with anything. Understand?" Bluestar growled.

"Oh, Bluestar, even in Starclan you try to be my leader…" Lionheart laughed.

"So it is decided. The two of us will follow Fireheart and help him when necessary."

**A/N**

**Fireheart was not the only one to make 'decisions.'**

**Sorry it took a while to get this up. I lost track of days. And hey, I promised I would make the chapters longer.**

**And keep reviewing. I'm not exactly an experienced writer so I would like some feedback.**

**And this is where this "Branch" story separates from the "Brotherhood" story (which you really should read if you haven't yet)**


	6. Chapter 6: On My Way

**Still do not own Warriors.**

**Chapter 6: On My Way**

Fireheart slipped silently along the river. The border here was always dangerous to him, but it was now more than ever. Both sides were hostile. It might actually have been safer to be in Rivercaln territory at this point. His body was tense, and he could feel his blood pulsing in his ears. He couldn't remember a time where he was this tense, this scared to be seen. By anybody. Everybody was hostile, now. Everyone would attack him on sight. He had to get out. Every time he stepped on a twig or even so such as rustled a leaf, he froze. Eventually, he worked his way to the gorge. He was between Riverclan and Windclan territory now. He relaxed. It was safer than the Thunderclan border. At least he could talk his way out of a conflict here.

"Fireheart? What are you doing sneaking through the gorge?" It was Onewhisker. He was on patrol with Tallstar. _At least they are the only two Windclan cats that like me. Lucky it's only them._

"I'd rather not explain."

"We have time," Tallstar meowed.

Fireheart scrambled up the side of the gorge to talk to them face-to-face.

"Bluestar was killed in a battle, so Tigerclaw took over. He exiled me because he didn't like me, basically."

"How'd he get away with _that_? It hardly seems like a valid reason."

"He pointed out every little mistake I've ever made and then acted as if it was the end of the world because I did them. I just can't believe everyone fell for his act."

"I can give you shelter for a while if you need."

"No, it would be better for you to not associate yourself with me. If Tigerclaw learned you were sheltering me, he would hold a grudge against you. And look where that same grudge got me."

"Ah, so that explains why you were here a few days ago. Still, are you sure you don't want some help?"

"No. It would be better for you to pretend this didn't happen. You don't want Tigerclaw- well I guess he's Tigerstar now- to find out about this. I should be on my way to another life. I hope to come back and visit, but until then, this is goodbye."

"I hate to see you end like this, but I guess it's fate. Goodbye, Fireheart. I do hope you come back eventually. After all, you are the one who saved my clan."

Fireheart climbed back down the side of the gorge and continued upstream. He arrived at the cornfield beyond the gorge. The sun was starting to sink below the horizon. He found a place where the ground dipped and took some of the leaves off of the corn plants and made a make-shift nest. It was very rough, but it would have to do. He would probably have to deal with worse, anyway.

**A/N**

**Sorry this took like 3 weeks to get out. I just got busy with school and then Spring Break happened and I just kind of... didn't update. So, I'll make it up by not only posting 2 chapters today, but also by releasing my other story (which has the exact same first 4 chapters, but it has him reacting differently and thus making a new story line).**


	7. Chapter 7: New Beginning

**I think you get the point with the disclaimer already.**

**Chapter 7: New Beginning**

Fireheart woke up close to sunhigh. It had been the first time in a long time that he got all the sleep he wanted. He got up and stretched the stiffness out of his legs. The sun was warm, and it felt nice.

_Maybe I could get used to this. Just wandering around, making a new nest every night, just trying to survive on my own. I'm a trained warrior, so I can take care of myself. I might be able to go far enough and start a new life where being a forest cat doesn't matter. Where others wouldn't be afraid of me like kittypets around here would be._

He decided to see if he could find some prey among the corn. His eyes caught a slight rustling several rows away. He dropped into a hunter's couch instinctively. He felt exposed because he didn't have the thick underbrush like he did back home, but the mouse didn't seem to notice him. He jumped at the mouse and hooked it with his thorn-sharp claws and quickly gave it a killing bite before it could even let out a squeak. Just as he did, he saw a sparrow fly over him, so he leapt up and dragged it to the ground. It was dead before he hit the soft soil.

He started to bury them out of habit before moving on, but then he realized he didn't have to. _I can just eat these here, can't I? I don't have anywhere else to take them, so I might as well eat them. I guess I can just eat however much I want, too. Oh, I could really get used to this life._ He found that living in Thunderclan long enough had left him with a small stomach, so he wasn't really able to eat much.

He buried the bones and continued on his way down to the river. He started to make his way upstream and had made decent ground by nightfall. He found some boulders he could sleep under and curled up down there.

He slept in even later the next day. He had his morning hunt and went on his way up the river. He heard a dog barking in the distance and chains rattling. It sounded like it was a large dog, so Fireheart was glad that he was safe from it.

Days went by. Days turned into a week, then a few weeks. He had been slowly travelling for nearly 3 quarters of a moon, though he tended to wake up later and slow down as time went by. He finally came across a large group of twolegs, kits and older ones, playing in the river. _I may have been a kittypet, but I really don't get twolegs._ He figured it would be too risky to go right through them, as they would pick him up and toy with him. He decided to take the long way around. He had to cross a small thunderpath, but there weren't any monsters on it. The twolegs were lined up all along the banks of the river for quite a distance, so Fireheart had to keep moving along from far away. He stopped and sat down for a moment to rest. He felt a twoleg's massive paws grab him from behind. He tried twisting away from it, but it wouldn't let him go. He unsheathed his claws and hissed at it, and it promptly dropped him. He ran away as fast as he could in a random direction, hoping that another twoleg wouldn't get him.

When he slowed down to get his bearings, he realized that he had lost track of the river and found himself in a twolegplace. _Maybe it's time for me to get away from the river. Let's see if there is anywhere in this twolegplace that I might be able to live._ He hopped up onto a fence to get a better view of the area. In the distance he saw trees. A lot of trees. Maybe large enough woods to support him. He got excited and ran towards there as fast as possible, weaving his way through gardens and over fences. He finally got to the edge of the woods and looked into it with the same excitement that he had as a kittypet. It may not be the same forest he had, but it was close enough. He found a fallen log that reminded him of the elder's den. There was already moss covering the fallen tree, so it was easy for him to scrape some off and make his own nest towards the back of the log. He found it easy to sleep because he felt at home here.

**A/N**

**And now he's free of any responsibility, and he's enjoying it.**

**Stop it Fireheart; you're making me jealous**


	8. Chapter 8: New Neighborhood

**I'm running out of witty things for the disclaimer that should be up here.  
**

**But I think you get the point already.**

**Chapter 8: New Neighborhood**

He woke up the next morning and crawled out of the log to stretch. He decided to go for an early morning hunt. Prey was plentiful here, and not very alert. They didn't seem to know that a cat was a threat.

The next thing on his list to-do list was to get acquainted with the local cats. It wasn't as important as knowing clanmates, but it would be nice to have some new friends. Through the underbrush, he saw a small white kittypet sitting on a fencepost. Fireheart stepped out of the bushes.

"Hey," he meowed to it. The kittypet stared at him, wide-eyed, before turning around and bolting away. Fireheart turned around to see if something was there, but he quickly realized that the kittypet was afraid of _him_. _Really? Kittypets are still afraid of me here? Well, maybe that one was just skittish. He looked young anyway._

He tried wandering around the perimeter of the woods, which was about a quarter of the size of Thunderclan territory. Enough to sustain him and maybe a couple more cats, but that's it. He ran across about five more kittypets, all of which ran away before he could get two words in. Fireheart started cutting back through the woods. He kept his eyes out for any familiar landmarks. He noticed a small pile of rocks. He decided to take a right at the rocks, and he found a large, old, oak tree that didn't look like it was going to fall down any time soon, near the border. He turned around and headed back across to the rocks, and kept going. There was a small sand pit, kind of like the training hollow back home. He once again made his way back to the rocks and proceeded the way he was originally going. He was surprised to find that it led him straight back to his log. The sun was starting to set and he went into his log, only to find that he wasn't the only one there.

** A/N**

**Very short chapter. I don't like how short I made it, but I made a cliffhanger for you! I also went back and standardized the format of the other chapters (left justified titles, bolded AN, Disclaimer, and Title). It was actually inconsistent. If you noticed the change, good for you.**

**And look at my "Brotherhood" story. If you haven't seen me mentioning it already, it goes hand-in-hand with this story. It has the same first four chapters to set up the exact same situation, and has Fireheart react differently. I'm working on both at the same time.**


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